On April 23, 2012, Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), met with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in Bangkok.

Jia first conveyed sincere greetings from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to Yingluck, who just wrapped up her visit to China last week. Jia said during Yingluck's visit, she reached important consensus with Chinese leaders on furthering China-Thailand friendly cooperation. Both countries set the new positioning of comprehensive strategic partnership, worked out the joint action plan for future strategic cooperation and identified four key areas of cooperation including high-speed railway, water conservancy, clean energy and education. All this made the bilateral relationship stand at a new historic starting point and mapped out a broader prospect for the development of bilateral ties.

Jia said the traditional friendship between China and Thailand has a long history and Sino-Thai relations are deeply rooted and are as inseparable as relatives. The belief that "China and Thailand are as close as one family" is a true reflection of the relations between the two countries. No matter how international and regional situation changes, China's policy of developing friendship with Thailand will remain unchanged. Jia said Thailand is the first among ASEAN countries to establish strategic cooperative relations with China. He said China was ready to make closer cooperation with Thailand, an intimate friend and reliable cooperative partner, to promote a fast growth of the bilateral ties. He added that the two countries should make their ties play a leading role in promoting solidarity and cooperation of Asia and maintaining the region's hard-won peace, stability and development. That is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples, and will be conducive to peace and stability in Asia and the world.

Jia said China will keep close coordination with Thailand, who will be the coordinator between China and the ASEAN in this year, to grasp the overall direction of cooperation and push forward the east Asian cooperation to score greater achievements.

Yingluck thanked for Wen's greetings, saying she was glad to meet Chairman Jia shortly after her visit to China. Yingluck said each time she visited China, she would feel the country's development and the improvement of its people's livelihood. She hoped what she saw in her China visit would help Thailand's development. She said that the Sino-Thai friendship has a long history and the notion "China and Thailand are as close as one family" is worthy of its name. She spoke highly of the importance the Chinese side attached to the relationship with Thailand, and appreciated that the two governments lift the bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation. China is an important country in Asia, whose stable development is of great importance to the whole region, she said, adding Thailand would join hands with China to further promote the China- ASEAN ties and to promote and maintain Asian countries' unity, cooperation and the region's peace and stability.

Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the CPPCC National Committee Qian Yunlu and Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Guan Mu attended the meeting.